bleach your jeans!

BEFORE & AFTER:

Ok, i finally bleached my jeans. Although it was not during the holidays, it was only a few days after the holidays so... still counted la!

INSPIRATIONS:

Let's start:

First, a list of what you'll need. I forgot to add jeans in the list but that's common sense right? I suggest using old/unwanted/extra jeans if this is your first time.

STEP 1: Research, research and more research!

Read up on the internet for tutorials to see different experiences/tutorials. And search for inspiration pictures! For me, i wanted more of a gradient effect. From (top to bottom) original colour to lighter blue to whitish-blue. After you're armored with your research, you move on to the real battle field.

STEP 2: I used a pin to mark down where i want the bleach to end, which is the end of the whitish-blue. Remember to leave about an inch just in case you make any mistake. You can always bleach more but you cant reverse the effect. If you want to be free and easy, then there's no need for pin.

STEP 3: Please use gloves because because you want to protect your hands, no? Er, its better to use rubber gloves but the only gloves i could find at home are the plastic ones. Mix your bleach and water into a pail. Make sure that it is enough to cover the area of your jeans that you want to soak in.

Ok, there are many differing ratio according to my research. You need to consider how strong your bleach is, the quality of your jeans and how long you want to soak your jeans. I recommend that you use 1:2 (chlorine:water). You can always add more chlorine later.

Soak your jeans in. Make sure that every part of your jeans that you want to bleach is IN the solution. Peg the top of your jeans on to the pail for precaution.

(I advice you to do this in a place with good ventilation. The stench of the chlorine really can make you dizzy. I did mine in my balcony.)

STEP 4: Wait.

Check your jeans after 15 mins. Since half of your jeans is soaked (and soaked means darker clothing), you might not see the difference. According to my research, if the jeans is fully bleached (which means fully white), you can see that it is actually white although it is soaked. If its dark, you cannot tell if its colour is due to the water or that it has not taken effect.

So 2 options now. Either you wait or you add more chlorine. I have to remind you that the longer you wait, the water will spread throughout your jeans. Which means your top half might get a little damp if you put your jeans in the solution for too long. If your solution has a strong mixture of chlorine, your top half might get a little bleached too.

I waited. You can now stretch your checking intervals from 15 mins to 30 mins to 60 mins. After about 2 hours if you see no sign of changes, hang your jeans to air dry for a while (30 to 60 mins).

You might be able to see some changes. If you're satisfied, you can move on to the next step. If you're not, continue to soak your jeans. And repeat step 4. Always remember to wear gloves.

(I might add that there is no standard amount of time needed. Some said that they need 15 minutes, some said 2 hours, some said 1 whole day. It really depends so the best way is to just keep checking the progress of your jeans. Trial and error la.)

STEP 5: Congratulations you have made it... or maybe not.

If you dont like your jeans and its beyond salvation well at least you tried. You can throw it away and skip this step. If you love your newly DIY-ed jeans, the last step is to just wash them! Run your jeans under water to wash off the chlorine. I dont really know what the others do to wash their jeans because they simply just say "wash your jeans". For me, i just soaked my jeans in a pail of water with washing powder for about a day? Hahahaha cause my mom wasnt home and i dont know how to use my washing machine.

I swear it sounds literally like a battle field every single time my mom works that crazy invention.
Every. Single. Time.

But you can soak it for about 30 minutes or so la. So yeah, after soaking just throw into the washing machine or you can hand wash if you want to.

Please be smart and dont mix it with other clothing hor.

STEP 6: TA-DAAAAA!

From boring to different!

Ok, at this point if you have a good memory, you might remember that on the list i stated toothbrush but didnt state when to use it. 

So during step 4 when you check your jeans, you can use the toothbrush to sort of mix the solution a little. Because some parts of your jeans might be above the surface of the solution so you need to push them back. 

And the toothbrush is good for the gradient effect though i didnt utitlise it. Before you wash your jeans in step 5 and you want a better transition of the colours, simply dip the bristles of the toothbrush into your leftover solution and scrub at your jeans. If the solution is not strong, just dip your toothbrush into 100% chlorine.

Honestly for me, i think that my jeans is not bleached enough. But i think i will leave it as it is now. I cant always bleach it again ^^ I feel very pleased with myself for writing this blog post. Other DIY tutorials suck ok?? They never list out their whole experience, details, advice and cautionary notes. So in the end i had to go through like a million different blog posts and youtube videos, omg. See, i make things simple by compiling everything here... just that you need to read this wordy post hahaha.

I love DIY! I want to do more soon, if i have the time (:

Current obsessions

Having an obsession with denim skirt right now. I think i have a good intuition when it comes to upcoming fashion. A lot of times i like a certain item then a few months later it becomes trendy. Then again, there are many times i like the item only when the trend is longgg over lol. I think denim skirt will gain popularity though.

During internship i was bored so i went to google to see what you can do with a spare pair of jeans. I decided to bleach my jeans but have not taken action since then due to my laziness. And now, ombre jeans is trendy all over ): I dont care if i am wearing the same as everyone else - i am going to bleach my jeans!!! Because i bought the jeans in sec 2 AND HAVE NEVER WORN IT ONCE. That's like 4 years already LOL. It is too big for me and i have another pair that looks like it. But cannot waste money ma. So must DIY (and bleaching jeans is the nicest way to go) then go alter it to fit me.

Wanted it to do it during the Feb/March holidays but it never happened. I must complete this mission before this holiday ends!

Fashion

I am sorry that you had to read through the really long and antsy post below. I dont know what came over me. The behaviour was unacceptable and i offer you my sincerest apology.

HAHAHA.

I am not sorry but i just pitied those who actually went through the previous post. It was so long and stupid and filled with frustration ):

So... to compensate, I shall introduce one of my favourite fashion blog. Actually i have quite a few favourites but i recommend this because 1) she's singaporean 2) she's a friend. I am not trying to promote her - she probably doesnt know that im doing this and honestly, not a lot of people read my blog so its not considered a promotion - but HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE COOL AND FASHIONABLE FRIENDS? HUH HUH HUH?

Although my style, errr that is if i even have one to begin with, is very different from hers, she is so edgy and unique. And i just think that fashion is about being you, being original as you already are (:

Suddenly remember the time where i accidentally saw her in Tampines library while both of us were studying for O's. I had my September (or was it November?) Seventeen issue with me. Nina Dobrev sported the front cover. Both of us were just browsing through the magazine. Lol random~

 She made the accessories herself. How cute!

That's her best friend, Elyse. Actually, i know the both of them. We used to be in the same 'O' level music class. Ahh, good ol' times. I recently saw Claudia and both of us were giggling about the fun times we had! HAHAHAHAHA i swear!!!

Anyway, visit her at http://theodoralorene.wordpress.com

confidence

“People always ask me, ‘You have so much confidence. Where did that come from?’ It came from me. One day I decided that I was beautiful, and so I carried out my life as if I was a beautiful girl. I wear colors that I really like, I wear makeup that makes me feel pretty, and it really helps. It doesn’t have anything to do with how the world perceives you. What matters is what you see. Your body is your temple, it’s your home, and,” she chuckles, "you must decorate it."

- Gabourey Sibide

Chanced upon the above quote today and i found it meaningful. Honestly, i have never been very conscious about my looks. Its not that im beautiful or what. I do think im pretty (please continue reading on what my definition of pretty is before thinking that im bhb) now but when i was in secondary school, i was really ugly. Not that i cared about my looks back then. I didnt pay much attention but if i were to look back and compare, i was really ugly lor.

I always show my SP student card and joke that i did plastic surgery cause i look so different lol.

One reason why i didnt care about how i look in sec sch was because there was no one for me to impress. Like srsly. The boys irritate me easily. I just feel like punching them most of the time. So ya lor, there was no need to be pretty. And i really didnt even think about how i looked at all.

When i was in Poly Year 1, i was in a transition state. My dressing sucked (camp shirts and shorts, anyone?) and only on certain days did i wear makeup. I was not overly obsessed over my looks. I do complain about my nose sometimes and obviously there were days where i think i am ugly la. Then just emo for awhile and i'll get over it. I wasnt too bothered about it but i cared about my appearance just a little more than i did when i was in sec sch.

Year 2 came and i started to dress better because i felt like i was a "disgrace" to CASS students lol. And i began to put more effort in looking better.  *Ahem it was not because i want to impress guys ok. Cause again, there is no one to impress hahaha. Dressing better was for myself. And in fact, i dont think anyone should dress for anyone else but themselves lor. My hair grew longer, i dyed it, i bought nicer clothes etc. And then one day i just realised how pretty i think i am.

I do have my insecurities once in awhile but i think thats normal. However, i really dont understand how people can feel that they are ugly all the time when actually, they are not that bad. And then there are people who look gorgeous but still think they are ugly.

=.=

I am those kind where hardly anyone will agree that im pretty but i think i am pretty nevertheless lor. To clarify, when i say i think im pretty, im not trying to brag or what. And i do NOT visualise myself like this:

I know i look nothing like that la! Which btw, is Esti Ginzburg (one of my favourite models ^^). I dont judge myself with that kind of standards. 

When i say im pretty, it means i like how i look and am satisfied. It means i've accepted how i am even though I KNOW I HAVE FLAWS. It means, instead of focusing on my flaws, i started to pay more attention to my better attributes. I think i am pretty because i am thankful for what i have, rather than complaining what i lack. 

It doesnt mean that i love my flaws though. I just learnt how to live with them. And it most certainly do not mean that i dont have any "i-feel-ugly-today" days. 

So, if you asked me if i think i am pretty, my answer is yes.

But if you asked me if others will think i am pretty, i dont think so. Because they are so many more people who are prettier than me. I am simply good enough for myself. It does not mean that i am good-looking according to society's standards or that i expect people to think i am. 

Now you know moi definition of pretty, you can scroll up to re-read the parts where i said im pretty (bolded it for you!) and understand what i meant. So, even an ordinary person like me can have confidence, i dont understand why popular, drop-dead gorgeous (those kind hot in demand) people hate how they look. And they just keep saying that. I REALLY DONT. 

Also, i really believe in apple in the eye of the beholder. I have friends whom i dont think are that pretty at all but have received compliments from many people. And im like huh? Yup. Beauty is subjective so i dont see the point in worrying if this person/that person likes how you look or not.

I feel sad for my friends who genuinely think they are ugly when they are quite good-looking. You dont have to be pretty to feel pretty. But i understand how hard it is to gain confidence. I may be confident in my looks but im paranoid when it comes to my personality. I am always constantly worrying if i said the wrong things or whether people like me or not. I want to be someone who doesnt care if she gets hated or not. And that is my goal. Not that im going to be mean la but i just want to be confident of my personality instead of trying to please everyone. I think that is why i love Cher Lloyd. She's got so many haters and yet she remained true to herself. #respect!

So yes, to a more confident you and me!

Anywaaaaaaay, I ♥ my denim vest! I think i got it for $10 at SCAPE Flea Market whereas places like F21 sells it for at least double of the price. Hehehe.

But as i wore it out today, i realised a lot of people are wearing denim jackets!! D: One thing i absolutely hate the most is to wear something similar to others. Except my friends la. I refuse to dress the same as all Singaporeans. I wouldnt say Singaporeans dont know how to dress. I think we're getting better! BUT. Singaporeans all just blindly follow trends one. That is something i really cannot stand.

Seriously. Everyone just dress the same. Like a few months ago, the "socks with shoes" trend was in. And everywhere i went, people were just wearing socks with shoes. Im not saying that getting updated with trends is bad but most Singaporeans just follow it blindly and everyone just look the same. There is hardly any individuality, which i think is sad.

Hence, i really dislike it when i wear the same pieces as others. I mean, i dont think i know how to dress very well but i try not to blindly follow what's in but rather getting items that i personally like. And at the point of time when i got my vest, i didnt know it was going to be a fad. But now... I think it is getting popular.

):

So to end off, here is me trying to kill my sister. HAHAHAHA.

i rarely say this, but good job! ;)

WE DID IT!
Rock on, Phlegmatics! :D

Omg, i feel so guilty for spending so much on clothes. Its only 5 days since the start of August but i've bought so many stuff already! )': I shall stop buying clothes next month, i swear!

Stop ta-ta-talking that blah blah blah. Think you'll be getting this? Nah nah nah.

That's what i wore to HP.
I decided to dress up (well, some might still think its slouchy but whatever) since its HP. I wore my favourite shorts and this black tee which i havent worn for a year. The last time i wore it was ZJ's bday party, Aug 2010.

I realised i lost that diamond necklace ): AND I REMEMBERED THAT I FORGOT TO BRING BACK MY CHOCOLATES AFTER TRADING AWAY THE "BAD" ONES TO THE "GOOD" ONES ):

Back to HP: I tried to curl my hair but failed. I didnt have any heat protectant so i used the one and only that i owned, which is also specially for STRAIGHTENING, not curling. Lol.

Yup. One side straighter than the other. And that's after i curled all my hair, or rather, too tired to keep recurling because the curls cant be maintained. My purple hair is starting to fade to red. I feel like dying it orange-brown next like this:


He is known as typicalben and the reason why i started reading his blog was because his hair looked awesome (well, before going army la).


And currently:


Still not bad. The first thing i look out for a guy is not his eyes but his hair. I think guys who have super nice hair are hard to come by. He carries off orange hair so well that i want to have orange hair too! If one day i should dye orange, you know where the inspiration comes from!

And, back to HP again: I think the movie was so-so. Not disappointed but not all that great either. It did a good job on explaining itself so even if you didnt watch Part 1, you probably can still catch up. The reason why i think the movie was just ok might be because there are so many things in the book that are left out! I wanted to see more relationships development and i wanted to see more of Draco and Snape.

Argh, Snape. They should play more screen time of his childhood/relationship with Lily. It was the only part i cried. I even cried the scene before because i knew what was coming. Its really touching how one can love another so much, especially for a character like Snape. C'mon, even cereal guy feels for him:

After the movie, Nat said, "We should do this kind of outing more often!"
The irony. We like outings where we dont have to communicate with one another. Well, we did talk about the movie after it ended but... that's pretty much what we talked about. If i remember correctly, the last outing we had as a class (well, i guess this one is kind of a class outing even though minority turned up) was Inception. Movie. Again.

Oh well.

And today, while walking along Tamp MRT, someone tapped me from the back. I thought it was someone i knew but it wasnt so i continued walking. The person tapped me again. This time, she flashed me a name card and here it goes again.

I swear. Model hunters are lurking in Tampines forever. So i played my part: pretended to listen, and gave her a fake number. I've seen how my friend kena hounded when he gave his real number so i learned. Anyway, i think i have been asked quite a few times and i always changed the last digit to 1.

And i realised what if there's someone with that phone number?? The person must be thinking who the hell is Siqi and curse me like no tomorrow for all the calls! Opps :/

I am sure they "chose" me not because im pretty but only because of my height. Srlsy, i just woke up from my train ride so i bet my hair was messy like shit. Besides, most of these hunters tapped me from the back, not front. Thus self-confidence boost? Zero.

Anyway the person asked me to visit the website on the name card or if i have time, go Clarke Quay or something. It's the first time any model agency asked me to visit their website or their building. whatsoever. Most of them just take down my number and bye-bye because i think they're scammers or at the very least, not as established. So i went to the website just now. Er, i guess its quite ok lor. But the local models like not very good-looking...

If you are interested: www.imodelsholdings.com
And yup. That's the end of today's superficial post. Bye bye.

who says shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist?

I've been thinking about it. Its not because i have nothing to wear, its because i dont like to repeat my clothes. Which is why i keep buying new ones!!! I feel very sad leh. I think i shopped too much...

THIS MONTH (may i remind you its just half way through July)
I bought 2 dress. One floral and one just a plain white flowy dress.

I bought a leopard shirt/singlet. Not because i want to but because Pearl once suggested to coordinate our clothes when Tanya wear her "sexy back" dress. (I smsed Tanya about the good news and her reply was: NO. )':)


I bought 4 nail polishes because i thought they were pretty even though i hardly wear any now.


I bought a lip tint but that's ok since i wanted to buy it since a long time ago.
Btw, i love lip tint! They are highly pigmented and long lasting! Just make sure you dont buy one that makes your lips dry.


I bought a new pair of shoes... just because.

I bought a wallet... just because too.

I dont even dare to calculate how much i spent on food and miscellaneous ):
Brb, i shall go kill myself now.

its a mad, mad world

My school - The hometown of the bitchiest bitchy bitches you could ever find on this planet. 100% authentic.

Went out with Xiuwen, Anginn, Shaf and Gaya to eat and sing. A celebration is definitely needed when you missed 2 lessons in a row; when CPI CA2 is over; when a lesson is cancelled; and when you kena cornered by a creepy psycho stalker.

Btw, i bought a straightener from Wastons for $10 only! It is applicable to members only so if you are one and dont mind buying a low-end straightener, then faster go grab! I think the promotion ends tmr or something. If you're not a member, too bad lor.

My online clothes arrived today! And i bought a dress. I am developing an interest towards dresses nowadays. Hmm... ok I shall abruptly end here.

The highest level of killing is not to kill without emotion.
It is to kill and smile at the same time, young boys and girls.
Kill and smile at the same time.

SEE YOU!
Hehe.

V for Veneno

Went out with Veneno to get some shopping done.
Ok la, i didnt buy much but that's because i've spent too much money earlier this month and im now broke ):
And also because i felt uncomfortable shopping with 4 guys. 1 VS 4. The thought of them looking at what im choosing/buying is so weird. I think we hardly went to any girls' shops. But ok la, i didnt have a lot of money anyway, lol.

LOL. This shot was epic because CJ spilled some drink on his pants, exactly at his area. So he kept trying to cover it with his bag. Me and Timothy took a picture from the back hahaha.


Went to Uniqlo cause CJ wanted to find his "Kiap kiap" pants. Initially i have no idea what he was talking about except that it was supposedly gay.

So, CJ saw a couple of shorts that looks like the "kiap kiap" pants and went to try.

The rest of us were bored so we decided to take a picture, using the mirror, which Ced said was gay.

But in the end he went to put as his dp. Then, he realised that it wasnt a complete group photo so he photoshopped CJ in.HAHAHA CUT AND PASTE ONLY! SOME MORE NO LEGS!
Timothy cannot stand it so help Ced photoshopped.

So much better right? Guess where he took the picture from?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS TOO FUNNY, I CAN DIE LAUGHING!!!
The denim pants look so gay on CJ, i swear!!

We went to many guys' shop to get CJ's clothes. I think guys clothes are damn nice to shop for lor. Next time i got son, i must help him get the most trendiest clothes. Oh wait, i already did. CJ is my son and i helped him choose like, 100% of his clothes?
HOHOHOHO :D

Look at how many bags he bought =.=
I think he spent $200 at one go.


Timothy wanted to find a hat and he found one after a gazillion of hats shown to him.

Random photos~


Group photo before i head back home. Ced wanted to take with Liang Wen Ying (Girl on poster) but in the end CJ blocked her face. Hahaha.


A little sad that only so few people turned up ):
Oh well, next outing better attendance? Btw, im wearing the exact same shirt as i was for the first outing! I only realised that when i was out of the house, hehe. And the best buy for today goes to...


Rubi's shades = $2
:D